Observe the sons of Ulster marching towards the Somme
By: Frank McGuinness
Contributors: McGuinness, Frank
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: 2013
Place of publication: London]
Language: eng
Subjects: Drama; Somme, 1st Battle of the, France, 1916; Great Britain. Army. Division, 36th; Great Britain
Description: This powerful and subtle play follows the experience of eight men who volunteer to serve in the 36th (Ulster) Division at the beginning of the First World War. It reaches a climax at the start of the terrible battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916, the actual anniversary of the battle of the Boyne in 1690. The Somme, where the Ulster Division suffered heavy casualties, has, like the Boyne, come to have a sacred place in the Loyalist Protestant mind. It marks the Union sealed with blood. It stands for the ultimate test of Ulster's loyalty; a blood-sacrifice to match any made by Irish nationalists. 'Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme' was first performed at Dublin's Abbey Theatre in 1985.
Notes: Previously issued in print: in Plays one. London: Faber, 1996.